Post by Kyan Beryl on Jul 27, 2018 16:59:06 GMT -7
Kyan awoke to white, dirty, rippling walls. The sight felt so foreign above him that he simply stared for several moments, trying to comprehend it. Slowly, sounds came to him too, although they were muffled like he was underwater. There was a groan of pain, a soothing voice asking questions with words he couldn't understand, and further away, more sounds that made even less sense.
As his mind started to settle, he decided to push himself up - and found immediate, tight resistance. On impulse, he started straining against the bonds, jerking violently in an attempt to free himself. Several voices nearby suddenly raised and a figure appeared on either side of him. Both faces were entirely unfamiliar, but they settled hands on him and the soothing voice he'd heard moments before came from the figure on the left. Her hair was bright pink, most of it tied up behind her head but a few loose strands fell over her face. She looked tired, but seemed to brighten as he focused on her. He had stopped struggling for the moment and, very slowly and deliberately, she loosened the restraints that were tying him down.
"Kyan," she said, from a long way away, clasping her hands in front of her in joy. She smiled and reached to touch his face, and the glimmer of recognition finally hit him: Glitter. Glitter? How could it be that the shallow, vapid girl who'd tried and failed to get into his heart was here in this strange place, standing over him and looking as if she hadn't slept in days? The image didn't make sense in his head, and the confusion was plain on his face as her smile widened. "It's a long story," she said, blushing and then giving his hand a small squeeze.
Glitter turned to get something from a nearby cart, and he saw a flash of blonde hair from a bed behind her. That brought another thought crashing through his head: Anaïs. "Anaïs," he said, moving to sit up, "where's-" But he cut himself off abruptly when his legs didn't respond they way he expected. They were both stiff, and a shot of pain stabbed up from them. One of them felt odd. Lighter? Glitter and the other nurse quickly turned around and put hands on his shoulders, trying to push him back down. "Just relax," Glitter said softly. Kyan ignored her, pushing her hands away and pulling back the sheet that was covering the bottom half of his body.
Kyan's left leg was covered in bruises, ranging from deep purple to a sickly yellow. There was a deep gash below the knee and several smaller ones scattered across the skin. The scratches were echoed on his right thigh, and below that there was... nothing. His skin gave way to white bandages and red blood, then there was just empty space on the bed. "We tried to save it," he heard from somewhere, "but it was too far gone. It was a close one with the other leg." Saying nothing, Kyan squeezed his eyes shut.
The battle at the train station was chaos when Kyan and Vera arrived. The rebels were putting up a good fight, but as more Capitolites poured in, they weren't able to move the line back any further. The two victors teamed up with a few other rebels and helped draw off some of the Capitolites. Their little party turned out to be alittle too good, drawing off a huge portion of the fighters by deceiving them into thinking there were more rebels than there were. Kyan lost Vera in the fight, in his own overpowering desire to fight back - to really fight back - for the first time in a long time. Someone shouted something he couldn't make out, and then the entire street seemed to blow up. It erupted upward, Kyan with it, and came down to the ground even harder. Debris rained down on him, and then everything went dark.
Kyan opened his eyes, finding Glitter watching him with an expectant but sad look. He felt the anger rising, both at himself and the battle. He needed to find Anaïs, to make sure she was alright. "Where is she?" he asked Glitter, focusing on this instead of the pain he would feel later at losing his leg. Glitter's face turned into an exaggeration of sorrow, as if playing a part. She looked down and shook her head, and Kyan felt his stomach drop as the breath was pulled out of him. She seemed to take an agonizingly long time before saying, "We haven't heard anything. She's not among the wounded, and we haven't... identified all the dead." The air returned to his lungs, and with it, his resolve. Kyan moved to the edge of the bed, meaning to hobble out into the city to find her if he needed to. Glitter wasn't fast enough to stop him - not that she had the strength to - but it didn't matter. As soon as he put weight on his one remaining leg, pain shot up from it so intensely that he blacked out before he even hit the floor.
---
For three agonizing days, Kyan was restricted to his bed. Those tending the wounded were in short supply with high demand, and his desire to find his wife didn't rank high on their priority list. Still, he asked after her with every new person he saw, to no avail. Finally, someone was able to procure a wheelchair for him, and having his mobility again was exhilarating. He traveled the Capitol, barely registering the destruction of this great city as he tried to find her. Plenty of people knew who Anaïs Beryl was, of course, but no one knew where she was. She disappeared from the medical team soon after the battle started, and after that, it was all a mystery. Many of the rebels who were healthy enough to had returned home to help rebuild there, so many people who might know something were gone.
Finally, six days after he'd woken up, Kyan gave up on the city. The only thing that was left was returning to District 1 and renewing his search there. He hopped on a train carrying many of the healing soldiers back to their homes. When he stepped off the train, it was odd to see the district looking almost exactly like it did when he left. He expected it to be torn apart like the Capitol, but it was the same home he'd always known. No one there knew anything either. Their home was empty. In fact, the entire Victor's Village was empty, although he had no idea where the Victors who weren't rebels had gone. Once he'd searched everywhere and asked everyone, he was left with one final place to look: the house they'd hidden Anaïs' daughter and grandparents in.
The way there was too rough for a wheelchair, so Kyan had found some crutches. The journey was hard, but he had to keep going. When he was finally standing in front of the door, fear paralyzed him for a moment. If she wasn't here, that was it. This was the end of the line, and although he would probably never stop looking, this was really the last place she could be. She couldn't be gone, she couldn't be, because what would he be without her? What would District 1 be without the woman he loved, the one person had had sworn to himself to protect above all else? He had been willing to do almost anything for the rebel cause, but if she was the cost, the price was far too high.
He didn't know how long he stood there, but finally, he closed his eyes, lifted his fist, and knocked on the door.
WC: 1306
Tag: Anaïs Zoera-Beryl
Notes: Got some inspiration to write Kyan and just... went for it!
As his mind started to settle, he decided to push himself up - and found immediate, tight resistance. On impulse, he started straining against the bonds, jerking violently in an attempt to free himself. Several voices nearby suddenly raised and a figure appeared on either side of him. Both faces were entirely unfamiliar, but they settled hands on him and the soothing voice he'd heard moments before came from the figure on the left. Her hair was bright pink, most of it tied up behind her head but a few loose strands fell over her face. She looked tired, but seemed to brighten as he focused on her. He had stopped struggling for the moment and, very slowly and deliberately, she loosened the restraints that were tying him down.
"Kyan," she said, from a long way away, clasping her hands in front of her in joy. She smiled and reached to touch his face, and the glimmer of recognition finally hit him: Glitter. Glitter? How could it be that the shallow, vapid girl who'd tried and failed to get into his heart was here in this strange place, standing over him and looking as if she hadn't slept in days? The image didn't make sense in his head, and the confusion was plain on his face as her smile widened. "It's a long story," she said, blushing and then giving his hand a small squeeze.
Glitter turned to get something from a nearby cart, and he saw a flash of blonde hair from a bed behind her. That brought another thought crashing through his head: Anaïs. "Anaïs," he said, moving to sit up, "where's-" But he cut himself off abruptly when his legs didn't respond they way he expected. They were both stiff, and a shot of pain stabbed up from them. One of them felt odd. Lighter? Glitter and the other nurse quickly turned around and put hands on his shoulders, trying to push him back down. "Just relax," Glitter said softly. Kyan ignored her, pushing her hands away and pulling back the sheet that was covering the bottom half of his body.
Kyan's left leg was covered in bruises, ranging from deep purple to a sickly yellow. There was a deep gash below the knee and several smaller ones scattered across the skin. The scratches were echoed on his right thigh, and below that there was... nothing. His skin gave way to white bandages and red blood, then there was just empty space on the bed. "We tried to save it," he heard from somewhere, "but it was too far gone. It was a close one with the other leg." Saying nothing, Kyan squeezed his eyes shut.
The battle at the train station was chaos when Kyan and Vera arrived. The rebels were putting up a good fight, but as more Capitolites poured in, they weren't able to move the line back any further. The two victors teamed up with a few other rebels and helped draw off some of the Capitolites. Their little party turned out to be alittle too good, drawing off a huge portion of the fighters by deceiving them into thinking there were more rebels than there were. Kyan lost Vera in the fight, in his own overpowering desire to fight back - to really fight back - for the first time in a long time. Someone shouted something he couldn't make out, and then the entire street seemed to blow up. It erupted upward, Kyan with it, and came down to the ground even harder. Debris rained down on him, and then everything went dark.
Kyan opened his eyes, finding Glitter watching him with an expectant but sad look. He felt the anger rising, both at himself and the battle. He needed to find Anaïs, to make sure she was alright. "Where is she?" he asked Glitter, focusing on this instead of the pain he would feel later at losing his leg. Glitter's face turned into an exaggeration of sorrow, as if playing a part. She looked down and shook her head, and Kyan felt his stomach drop as the breath was pulled out of him. She seemed to take an agonizingly long time before saying, "We haven't heard anything. She's not among the wounded, and we haven't... identified all the dead." The air returned to his lungs, and with it, his resolve. Kyan moved to the edge of the bed, meaning to hobble out into the city to find her if he needed to. Glitter wasn't fast enough to stop him - not that she had the strength to - but it didn't matter. As soon as he put weight on his one remaining leg, pain shot up from it so intensely that he blacked out before he even hit the floor.
---
For three agonizing days, Kyan was restricted to his bed. Those tending the wounded were in short supply with high demand, and his desire to find his wife didn't rank high on their priority list. Still, he asked after her with every new person he saw, to no avail. Finally, someone was able to procure a wheelchair for him, and having his mobility again was exhilarating. He traveled the Capitol, barely registering the destruction of this great city as he tried to find her. Plenty of people knew who Anaïs Beryl was, of course, but no one knew where she was. She disappeared from the medical team soon after the battle started, and after that, it was all a mystery. Many of the rebels who were healthy enough to had returned home to help rebuild there, so many people who might know something were gone.
Finally, six days after he'd woken up, Kyan gave up on the city. The only thing that was left was returning to District 1 and renewing his search there. He hopped on a train carrying many of the healing soldiers back to their homes. When he stepped off the train, it was odd to see the district looking almost exactly like it did when he left. He expected it to be torn apart like the Capitol, but it was the same home he'd always known. No one there knew anything either. Their home was empty. In fact, the entire Victor's Village was empty, although he had no idea where the Victors who weren't rebels had gone. Once he'd searched everywhere and asked everyone, he was left with one final place to look: the house they'd hidden Anaïs' daughter and grandparents in.
The way there was too rough for a wheelchair, so Kyan had found some crutches. The journey was hard, but he had to keep going. When he was finally standing in front of the door, fear paralyzed him for a moment. If she wasn't here, that was it. This was the end of the line, and although he would probably never stop looking, this was really the last place she could be. She couldn't be gone, she couldn't be, because what would he be without her? What would District 1 be without the woman he loved, the one person had had sworn to himself to protect above all else? He had been willing to do almost anything for the rebel cause, but if she was the cost, the price was far too high.
He didn't know how long he stood there, but finally, he closed his eyes, lifted his fist, and knocked on the door.
WC: 1306
Tag: Anaïs Zoera-Beryl
Notes: Got some inspiration to write Kyan and just... went for it!